Re: Dakota Southern Railway
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:27 pm
Speak of the devil and up he jumps. Current update on Dakota Southern Railway operation. A 110 car shuttle grain elevator is currently in service east of Kimball, SD. As is standard, BNSF delivers unit trains of BNSF equipment to the shortline at Mitchell, SD. DSRC crews operate the train with BNSF power, which sometimes includes foreign line power, to the elevator and return. Shuttle trains use distributed power. DSRC normally rearranges power at the shuttle elevator loop as needed so that the receiving BNSF crew at Mitchell will depart with two units on the head end.
Heavy rail has replaced the 65# on the line from Mitchell to Chamberlain. Rail is a mix of #2 relay 115# to 132#. Trestles have had or are having a fourth stringer added beneath each rail to support heavier grain hoppers.
A second shuttle elevator is under construction at Kennebec, SD and expects to ship grain in September, 2016. Bridge work and track upgrades are in progress from the east end of the Chamberlain yard to one mile west of Presho, about 42 miles. Rail is #1 relay ranging from 115# to 132#. The longest bridge on the MILW, the Chamberlain bridge is having all wood replaced including the four inspection walkways beneath the bridge. Slightly less than a mile long, the bridge was placed in service on Dec. 7, 1953.
Active "old" DSRC power consists of recently reactivated ex-MILW SD7m 512 and repainted ex-SP SD9m 4427. Paint scheme is a variant of the red, white and black previously used. Two other units, a GP40 and a GP7 round out the fleet. Most of the "museum" fleet has been scrapped. Remaining M-of-W cars consist of one ex-ATSF 70T ballast hopper with MK gates, one ex-ATSF 30 yard side dump ballast car and one ex-MP 60' flatcar. No locomotives have been scrapped.
Chamberlain deadline consists of two ex-Sisseton Southern GE 70-tonners with cracked cylinder liners plus a GE 70T for parts which came without a prime mover. Ex-Keota & Washington Alco S3 #103 has a bad main generator. Ex-Long Island Alco C420 #213 needs a replacement traction motor which is on hand. Ex-MILW SD9m 506 needs new wheels and paint. Ex-MILW SD7m 522 also needs wheels replaced or turned. Incomplete carcasses when purchased, UP DDA40x #6925 and Soo Line GP30 #719 have been boned for parts.
Alex Huff, DSRC retired
Heavy rail has replaced the 65# on the line from Mitchell to Chamberlain. Rail is a mix of #2 relay 115# to 132#. Trestles have had or are having a fourth stringer added beneath each rail to support heavier grain hoppers.
A second shuttle elevator is under construction at Kennebec, SD and expects to ship grain in September, 2016. Bridge work and track upgrades are in progress from the east end of the Chamberlain yard to one mile west of Presho, about 42 miles. Rail is #1 relay ranging from 115# to 132#. The longest bridge on the MILW, the Chamberlain bridge is having all wood replaced including the four inspection walkways beneath the bridge. Slightly less than a mile long, the bridge was placed in service on Dec. 7, 1953.
Active "old" DSRC power consists of recently reactivated ex-MILW SD7m 512 and repainted ex-SP SD9m 4427. Paint scheme is a variant of the red, white and black previously used. Two other units, a GP40 and a GP7 round out the fleet. Most of the "museum" fleet has been scrapped. Remaining M-of-W cars consist of one ex-ATSF 70T ballast hopper with MK gates, one ex-ATSF 30 yard side dump ballast car and one ex-MP 60' flatcar. No locomotives have been scrapped.
Chamberlain deadline consists of two ex-Sisseton Southern GE 70-tonners with cracked cylinder liners plus a GE 70T for parts which came without a prime mover. Ex-Keota & Washington Alco S3 #103 has a bad main generator. Ex-Long Island Alco C420 #213 needs a replacement traction motor which is on hand. Ex-MILW SD9m 506 needs new wheels and paint. Ex-MILW SD7m 522 also needs wheels replaced or turned. Incomplete carcasses when purchased, UP DDA40x #6925 and Soo Line GP30 #719 have been boned for parts.
Alex Huff, DSRC retired